Larva Lore #2 Variegated Fritillaries (Eupoieta claudia)
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The Variegated Fritillary (VF) is a dull orange brown butterfly about the size and general appearance, including the darting flight, of an American Lady. In my opinion it does not have a particularly striking appearance as an adult. However, both the caterpillar and the chrysalis are very striking and seem to make up for the drabness of the adult butterfly. I would describe the caterpillar as barn red with black and white markings and black spines along its body. The chrysalis is a pale green/white with black splotches and iridescent coppery looking highlights which looks like a polished chip of Italian marble. Pictures of both the caterpillar and the chrysalis can be seen in The Butterflies of West Virginia and Their Caterpillars, 1997, by Thomas J. Allen. (Note: In a future column I plan to list books that I have found to be good references for photos of caterpillars and chrysalises. However, I mention Allen’s book now since I consider it a good reference due to its extensive listing of butterflies also found in the Carolina’s. I would therefore recommend it as a first reference for caterpillars and chrysalises of butterflies that are known to be found locally.) In late May I observed a VF ovipositing on the old flower heads of pansies. The resulting caterpillars were observed feeding on flower petals, some leaves and quite frequently the still green seedpods. This leads me to the following consideration. While it is often recommended (and practiced) to deadhead the old blooms of many flowers, the butterfly gardener that does so with pansies is probably eliminating a preferred ovipositing location and may also be removing some already deposited eggs. Next year one might plan to maintain some pansies as late spring host plants (without deadheading) for the VF’s in your neighborhood. In late August I observed a VF ovipositing on small (1-2") violet plants that were emerging through a wood chip ground cover. This time the smallest, immature leaf on each plant was selected as the preferred site. Also, Jim Nottke reported to me that he has seen VF caterpillars feeding on Passion Flower vine. VF butterflies tend to spend a shorter time in the chrysalis than do Monarch’s or Swallowtail’s. The ones I observed in July emerged after only 5 days while the ones in September required 8 days before emerging. An interesting characteristic of the VF chrysalis is that it is sensitive to touching or other disturbances and usually starts twitching fairly rapidly when touched or disturbed. Unfortunately, I am unable to locate the source but I seem to recall reading a statement or speculation that the VF overwinters as an egg or 1st instar caterpillar on the ground in the location where violets will emerge in the spring. (Comments or clarification of this point are encouraged and welcome.) I await your contributions or suggestions for the next Larva Lore column. Charles Cameron, 336-852-9211, ccamer@triad.rr.com |
Variegated Fritillary (Eupoieta claudia)
Variegated Fritillaries mating hanging from a limb.
Variegated Fritillaries mating on gravel. Photos
courtesy of Randy Emmitt |
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